


Bizarre

by Sylvalum



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, maria is a ghost
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 15:46:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9498911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sylvalum/pseuds/Sylvalum
Summary: "…Hello!"He almost choked, but alas, the great Ultimate lifeform doesn't choke, and he managed to swallow his mouthful of coffee before spinning around in his chair to face this unknown intruder, who by the way, shouldn't even possibly be able to get here without……oh.Oh.Oh.…oh what the fuck."…Maria?" Shadow managed to blurt out.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KittyFan101](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=KittyFan101).



The mission-reports of endless boredom went on and on before Shadow's eyes as he scrolled down on the screen, resting his head against his free hand. He was alone in his room at club Rouge – a room that the bat had so generously lent to him – and the bat in question was out somewhere, doing some 'window-shopping'…

Though various jewels still 'mysteriously' disappeared from their shelves when no one was looking.

In any case, Shadow's coffee was cooling itself down to tasteless levels, and he still had to read and probably write a few emails, so, it was time to get to work. Sitting up straight in his chair, Shadow then took a sip of coffee and opened up an email titled 'M-127-details'.

Ruby eyes quickly read through its contents, and as he did he began to outline a reply in his head. He took another sip of coffee, and then,

"…Hello!"

He almost choked, but alas, the great Ultimate lifeform doesn't choke, and he managed to swallow his mouthful of coffee before spinning around in his chair to face this unknown intruder, who by the way, shouldn't even possibly be able to get here without…

…oh.

Oh.

Oh.

…oh what the fuck.

"…Maria?" Shadow managed to blurt out. The intruder nodded happily, and was it just imagination, or did her bobbing head leave trails of… blue mist in the air after her? On the other hand, was her head half-transparent? And, on the other hand, shouldn't he be worried since the person in question who he believed was not-standing in front of him was dead? Dead since 53 years ago?

"…You aren't here." Shadow then stated flatly. Of course she wasn't. He was just hallucinating because of… of… his lunch. Yeah. He hadn't eaten anything since yesterday, so maybe that was why. –He ignored the fact that he could go without eating anything for several months here.

To that conclusion, the not-Maria hallucination-ghost just cocked her head and said, "Well, technically, yes. I do not have a physical body, so in that sense, I am not here. But alas, what remains of my soul is here, so~," she cheerily informed him.

"You're dead." Shadow said flatly, and ignored the weird feeling in his chest. It was a mixture of disbelief, denial, shock, sorrow, and bottomless, senseless, almost hollow… happiness. Which was quickly buried under a pile of 'haha, how dumb am I really, now what the hell did Rouge spike my coffee with'

…And unaware of his inner turmoil, Maria cheerfully said, "Yes I am dead indeed!" There was a little pause, and then she looked away. She let out a sigh, and her cheerfulness was gone, replaced with a much smaller smile as she looked at Shadow again. "It's really sweet of you to bring flowers to my grave every year," she then said quietly.

Shadow was at a loss of how to respond. This… could simply not be happening. Ghosts didn't exist, and Shadow was an atheist and a non-believer. This was impossible. Yet at the same time… well, Shadow certainly had to give credit to his imagination, and to whatever drug was in his coffee…

"…You're welcome." He sighed. If this was going to go on all evening, then he might as well be polite… Not that he could ever be rude to anyone who looked and acted like Maria… 

The not-Maria was partly transparent, though, and…

Chaos. No more coffee. Ever.

The not-Maria was looking at him worriedly with watercolour-blue eyes, so he shrugged. "…Well then," he said.

"Well then…" Maria agreed…

After a few more seconds of silence, she turned to look around his room instead, blue mist trailing after her leisurely. Once again Shadow wondered how she got here, if she actually wasn't just a part of his imagination…

"So this is your friend's room?" Not-Maria suddenly asked.

"Yeah," Shadow just replied. "She's… nice, well. She lets me stay in this room – we're partners at work too…"

Inwardly Shadow wondered why he was even saying this. He was talking… to himself. A piece of his imagination… Oh well, at least no one was around to hear his descending into madness…

The not-Maria frowned at what he said. She then reached straight through his bed, and seconds later a box was pushed out from under his bed. Shadow didn't comment on this bizarreness, and Maria bluntly asked,

"Do you two have a relationship?"

…What? Said Shadow's mind. Shadow's mouth repeated it.

Not-Maria sat down on the floor – could she even sit? – and removed the lid from the box. Shadow extinguished any urges of stopping her from looking at the contents of said box, and looked at her instead. Quietly observing…

The box was filled with books anyway.

Not-Maria also noticed this, let out a little sigh, and pouted in such a Maria-ish way that Shadow almost had a flashback. And then the little transparent wonder looked at Shadow again, and said,

"Relationship. Do you and that… friend, kiss and go out and the like?"

"No." Shadow replied quickly. What even gave you that idea, he was about to say, but then he saw that not-Maria… breathed out in relief? Smiled triumphantly? So instead he said, "Are you jealous?"

"A little bit, maybe," not-Maria said thoughtfully. She looked away. "I'm not even alive anymore, while your friend lives with you…"

(Shadow could almost feel Rouge's grin when she heard about someone being jealous of her.)

"…Well, at least you're here." Shadow said. Chaos, he was so bad at giving comforting words. And chaos, that sounded so, horrifyingly, sugary… sappy.

…The not-Maria looked happier though. "Well," she said. "That's one side of looking at things!" She chuckled to herself, and Shadow almost smiled. Unfortunately though, his emails, his coffee, and the sound of the door downstairs opening, poking at his attention…

Not-Maria noticed too, and let out a sigh. "I'm still jealous." She declared. And then she raised from the floor with blue mist trailing after the locks of her hair and the skirt of her dress, and she not-stood, floating partly above the floor.

Shadow was partly glad that his coffee-hallucination was finally going, and partly, somewhere deep in his heart and mind, sad that the possible ghost of the sweetest girl he had ever known was going away. He hoped his face wasn't betraying his emotions.

Not-Maria looked at him intently, but then she went to his bed instead. She picked up the blanket, and her transparency made it almost look like the blanket was floating. Almost. And then before Shadow knew, she had moved herself and the blanket up to him, and used the blanket to give him a hug…

It was…

Too painful to remember.

Too bizarre to be real.

Yet his heart insisted that it was real, had been real, even after 'Maria' finally left through the wall.


End file.
